"Buttons in my soup" is the story of a boy, Moshe-Yankel Zisovitch, who survived the Holocaust.

This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating testimonies of that dark period, thanks to the author's ability not only to recount what he endured, but also to reflect on his feelings back then, in the camps. Existential difficulties preceded the deportation of Hungarian Jewry, yet nothing could have been worse than the extermination camps.

Plot/Idea: 6 out of 10

Originality: 5 out of 10

Prose: 8 out of 10

Character/Execution: 8 out of 10

Overall: 6.75 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot: Ziv's memoir is soundly structured and moves along at a good pace. At times, the narrative jumps a bit too quickly between scenes, but overall the author is effective in communicating his story.

Prose: Ziv's prose is appropriately sparse and unadorned, effectively depicting the emptiness felt by victims of the Holocaust and their sense of isolation.

Originality: While Ziv's story is engaging and features some original elements, it doesn't do much to set itself apart from similar holocaust survival stories. That said, this story is important and well told.

Character Development: Ziv's development is very strong, and readers will get a vivid sense of his character and the ways he changes over the course of the book. Secondary characters in the camps are equally well rendered. Ziv describes them with an effective mix of compassion, clarity, and horror.

Date Submitted: July 12, 2018

Reviews

Clayton

Throughout the book I did feel the purposefulness and hope that would keep any survivor alive, fighting and understanding. Sure, bitterness is powerful, but, when tested, will and purpose is more powerful. The easiest thing to do would have been give up. Overall, though, I love stories of survival, understanding, purpose and persistence. The part where he lost his Father, I most understand.I lost my Father when I was 16 years old. I graduated early from high school that year in 1991. I took my diploma I got in the mail (no graduation ceremony with caps and gowns) to the hospital at Cedars-Siani Medical Center. He was in room 4913. He smiled, said he loved me and then he died. I got ushered out of the room to the South elevator, my Mom came up the North elevator as I was leaving. I sat in La Cienega Park crying for hours. Then I went home. Sure, nothing compares to the bitterness at life Mr. Ziv felt during the holocaust and many others, but I realize the great reminder this story and many others of persistence are though. For a long time I felt suicidal feelings, but we all must trudge back to the light no matter what it takes. You show that is universally possible Mr. Ziv. I thank you for that.

Grady Harp

Author/memoirist Moshe Ziv (Zisovitch) originally wrote his memoir in Hebrew and the book has been translated by Sharolyn Buxbaum. The opening Introductory notes are particularly poignant and only hint that the history about to unravel: ’ In 1938 a military pact was signed between the leader of Hungary....What follows is one of the more immediately accessible windows into the life of a young lad who is a Holocaust survivor. Moshe’s writing style is terse and that technique of relating his experiences makes the story almost unbearably realistic.....Moshe’s experiences take us all the way through to his destination in Israel and it is there that he leaves us – more sensitive to the horrors and heroism and survival than any other writer has accomplished. Highly Recommended

Grady Harp

Author/memoirist Moshe Ziv (Zisovitch) originally wrote his memoir in Hebrew and the book has been translated by Sharolyn Buxbaum. The opening Introductory notes are particularly poignant and only hint that the history about to unravel: ’ In 1938 a military pact was signed between the leader of Hungary....What follows is one of the more immediately accessible windows into the life of a young lad who is a Holocaust survivor. Moshe’s writing style is terse and that technique of relating his experiences makes the story almost unbearably realistic.....Moshe’s experiences take us all the way through to his destination in Israel and it is there that he leaves us – more sensitive to the horrors and heroism and survival than any other writer has accomplished. Highly Recommended

Maranda Russell

I have read a significant number of autobiographies from holocaust survivors, yet I still find that with each new one I read, I am again shocked and sickened at the depth of depravity human beings can stoop to due to hatred, bigotry, and fear. Like the other survivor stories I have read, Moshe Ziv's account is brutal, gripping, and absolutely heart wrenching throughout. Sometimes I wish that every living person was required to listen to and study stories like this one. If that happened, perhaps we would better learn to avoid the pitfalls of blaming, scapegoating, and dehumanizing entire groups of innocent people.

Unfortunately, I feel that in many ways history is heading for a time when these atrocities might indeed be reignited, especially as the strong spirit of nationalism and fear of the "others" continues to take hold all over the world, as countries strive to figure out "easy" (and almost always error-laden) answers to their complex problems. In some places of the world, you can already see the horrors of genocide being relived. I am thankful for voices like Ziv's that speak the clear and present truth and share it in a way that cannot be ignored or forgotten. If only more people would listen...

P. Blevins

Buttons In My Soup: The Story of a Buchenwald Survivor: Holocaust Survivor Story: True WW2 Surviving Memoir is by Moshe Ziv (Zisovitch). It is the true story of a young boy who is thrust into the concentration camp system at Auschwitz-Birkenau with his Father, Mother, and sister. He and his sister were born in Hungary but their Father was from Slovakia and Mother was also not from Hungary. Because of this, they were deported from Hungary. At the registration, Mother and Kati were separated from them. That was the last time he saw his Mother. Moshe and his Father were sent to Sarvar Camp and then to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His Father was entered into the camp with a tattoo; but Moshe was not. However, he managed to avoid liquidation and ended up being sent to Buchenwald. He was only ten when he was on his own in the camps. He was sent to Magdeburg and finally back to Buchenwald. Here he was located in the Kinder Block. He was liberated from Buchenwald and taken to France as an orphan. It was through the school here that he ended up in Israel. In Israel, he was eventually reunited with his sister.This book tells of his terrible journey through the camps as he was worked as a slave, subjected to beatings, and starved. His resilience as a youth was in his favor in some of the camps as he was small enough to be overlooked at times. He spent years just making notes of what he remembered as those memories came to him. After the second international meeting of the “Buchenwald Boys” in 1990, he wrote his memoir after the urging of his family. Even 50 years after the incidents, they were fresh in his mind as he wrote. The book is horrible and very emotional; but one which should be read by Holocaust scholars.